Joe Byerly@jbyerly81
Active-duty military leaders should resist the temptation to treat the press as an adversary.
Yes, individual reporters and outlets can be unfair. They may approach a story with assumptions, pursue a particular angle, or ask questions designed to provoke. Military leaders should correct inaccurate reporting and challenge false premises when necessary.
But disagreement with the press is different from antagonism toward it.
A free and independent press plays an essential role in our country. Reporters ask questions on behalf of citizens who cannot enter our headquarters, attend our meetings, or see how decisions are made. Those citizens fund the military, entrust it with extraordinary authority, and send their sons and daughters into its ranks. They deserve accountability.
The military is also one of the few institutions that brings together Americans from nearly every background, region, belief system, and political perspective. During my time in command, I proudly served alongside and led men and women with whom I did not always agree. Their character, competence, and commitment to the mission were what mattered.
That experience reinforced and idea that makes our military such an important institution in our country: military leaders do not represent one political party, ideology, or segment of the country. We serve all of it.
That is why active-duty leaders should be cautious about inserting themselves into the hot-button political and cultural issues that divide Americans. Even when we believe our personal views are right, publicly taking sides can make those who think differently question whether the institution still belongs to them.
The same principle should guide our relationship with the press. We do not have to like every story, accept every premise, or remain silent when facts are wrong. But hostility toward reporters, especially when it echoes partisan rhetoric, risks pulling the military into divisions it should work to transcend.
Our credibility rests on professionalism, candor, restraint, and nonpartisanship.
The press is not the enemy. It is part of the democratic system we swore to defend.
